Sandhya Menon

{{short description|American writer from India}} {{Infobox writer | embed = | honorific_prefix = | name = Sandhya Menon | honorific_suffix = | image = Sandhya Menon.jpg | image_size = | image_upright = | alt = | caption = Menon in 2017 | native_name = | native_name_lang = | pseudonym = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1983}} | birth_place = [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]] | death_date = | death_place = | resting_place = | occupation = Author | language = | residence = | nationality = | citizenship = | education = | alma_mater = | home_town = | period = | genre = [[Young adult fiction|Young Adult]] | subject =  | movement = | notableworks =  | spouse =  | partner =  | children = | relatives = | awards = | signature = | signature_alt = | years_active = | module = | website = {{URL|http://www.sandhyamenon.com}} | portaldisp =  }} '''Sandhya Menon''' (born 1983) is an [[Indian Americans|Indian American]] author based in [[Colorado]], United States. She is the author of [[The New York Times|New York Times]] bestseller ''[[When Dimple Met Rishi]]'' and ''From Twinkle, with Love''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Sandhya-Menon/2086619766|title=Sandhya Menon|website=Simon & Schuster|language=en|access-date=2018-05-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://bookpage.com/interviews/21410-sandhya-menon|title=Sandhya Menon - Interview|work=BookPage.com|access-date=2018-05-26|language=en}}</ref>

== Early life == Menon was born in [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]] to [[Indian people| Indian]] [[Malayali]] parents.<ref>{{cite news |last=A Chokhani |first=Priyanka |date=August 31, 2021 |title=As a kid, I struggled with my cultural identity: Menon |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/as-a-kid-i-struggled-with-my-cultural-identity-menon/articleshow/85784696.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=March 3, 2025}}</ref> She is a die-hard fan of [[Bollywood]] films. She moved to the [[United States|US]] from [[India]] when she was fifteen years old.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.germmagazine.com/the-story-behind-when-dimple-met-rishi-by-sandhya-menon/|title=The Story Behind 'When Dimple Met Rishi' by Sandhya Menon|last=Menon |first=Sandhya |date=2017-04-07|work=Germ Magazine|access-date=2018-05-26|language=en-US}}</ref> She had a hard-time growing up in two different cultures and says that she always wanted to be a writer, but her family pressured her to study [[medicine]].<ref name=":0" />

== Career == Menon writes [[Young adult fiction|young adult]] fiction for [[Adolescence|teenagers]] and [[Rom com|rom-coms]], often with Indian-American protagonists. Her first book ''[[When Dimple Met Rishi]]'' was published in 2017. It's a [[Young adult fiction|young adult]] [[Romantic comedy|rom-com]] about two Indian-American teenagers, Dimple and Rishi, whose parents are trying to arrange their marriage. The book was published by [[Hachette (publisher)|Hachette]] and was a [[The New York Times|New York Times]] bestseller.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/reviews/micro-review-when-dimple-met-rishi-is-a-refreshing-ya-romance/articleshow/60016304.cms|title=Micro review: When Dimple Met Rishi is a refreshing YA romance - Times of India|work=The Times of India|access-date=2018-05-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/When-Dimple-Met-Rishi/Sandhya-Menon/9781481478687|title=When Dimple Met Rishi|date=2017-05-30|isbn=9781481478687|language=en|last1=Menon|first1=Sandhya|publisher=Simon and Schuster }}</ref> The book was adapted into the [[Netflix]] series ''[[Mismatched]]'' in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-16|title=Netflix India announces eight new titles for 2020, including Anurag Basu's Ludo, Mira Nair's A Suitable Boy |url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/netflix-india-announces-eight-new-titles-for-2020-including-anurag-basus-ludo-mira-nairs-a-suitable-boy-8599001.html|access-date=2020-11-19|website=Firstpost}}</ref>

Menon's next book, ''From Twinkle, with Love,'' about a teenage Indian-American aspiring filmmaker who collaborates on a documentary with her crush's brother, was published by [[Simon Pulse]] in May 2018.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sandhyamenon.com/books/|title=Books {{!}} Sandhya Menon|website=www.sandhyamenon.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4814-9540-0|title=Children's Book Review: From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon. Simon Pulse, $18.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-4814-9540-0|website=PublishersWeekly.com|language=en|access-date=2019-03-17}}</ref> A companion to her debut, called ''There's Something About Sweetie'', about two Indian-American teens and an arranged marriage matched by their parents, was published in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/theres-something-about-sweetie-by-sandhya-menon-is-a-love-story-that-fans-of-when-dimple-met-rishi-will-adore-12587637|title=A 'When Dimple Met Rishi' Character Gets The Spotlight In Sandhya Menon's New Book|last=Trombetta|first=Sadie|website=Bustle|date=17 October 2018 |language=en|access-date=2019-03-17}}</ref>

The first book in her first series, ''Of Curses and Kisses'', centering on a boarding school for royals and a retelling of ''[[Beauty and the Beast]]'', will be published by Simon Pulse in 2020.<ref name=":1" />

Her rom-com debut, ''Make-Up Break Up'', about an Indian-American entrepreneur and her matchmaking business, will be published by St. Martin's Press in 2021.<ref name=":1" />

== Personal life == Menon now lives in [[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]], Colorado, with her husband and two children, a son and a daughter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sabaatahir.com/introducing-debut-author-sandhya-menon/|title=Introducing Debut Author Sandhya Menon|website=www.sabaatahir.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-26}}</ref>

==Bibliography== *''[[When Dimple Met Rishi]]'' (2017) *''From Twinkle, with Love'' (2018) *''There's Something About Sweetie'' (2019) *''As Kismet Would Have It'' (2019) *''Love at First Fight'' (2020) *''10 Things I Hate About Pinky'' (2020) *''Of Curses and Kisses'' (2020) *''Make Up Break Up'' (2021) *''Of Princes and Promises'' (2021) *''Three Kisses, One Midnight'' (2022) *'' Of Dreams and Destiny'' (2023)

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category|Sandhya Menon}} * [http://www.sandhyamenon.com/ Official Website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Sandhya}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]] [[Category:21st-century Indian writers]] [[Category:21st-century American women writers]] [[Category:Indian emigrants to the United States]] [[Category:American writers of young adult novels]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:American women writers of young adult literature]] [[Category:American people of Malayali descent]]